no more magic card

“When I was seven most of my friends stopped believing in magic. That’s when I first started. They were beautiful, they were happy. They didn’t even need any money, they had magic cards.” [confessions of a shopaholic]

i started something this week. or stopped something really, and that's using my magic card. a magic card by any other name is just a credit card, or in my case a mere debit card. something i've turned into a bad habit and decided to nip it in the bud. because as my mother reminds me - "if you can't save money when you're single with hardly any bills ... blah blah blah." that's when i stop listening, so i'm really not sure what happens if i 'can't save when i'm single with hardly any bills', but the gloomy fog of the unknown is enough to scare me into reevaluating my habits.

i've put a limit on how much cash i can use each week. it's only day three but it feels like day 300. i cheated my way across more cash by returning some clothes. knowing i'd be tempted to shop while i made these returns, i purposefully left my magic card at home. this worked out well at tjmaxx and marshalls when i walked out with cash instead of great purchases, but backfired when my car would not start in the parking lot. turns out i needed a new battery and did not have enough cash on me to pay for it. thankfully my stepdad let me borrow his magic card and i resisted the temptation to use it elsewhere, because we all know how easy it is to spend money that's not even yours. so lesson learned, it's still good to carry my magic card with me for when those not-so-magical emergencies arise.

i was complaining that there is no way to reward yourself for this kind of thing, because you can't buy yourself a treat. i took this complaint to the extreme by saying there are really no rewards for any good habits, because when you work out a lot you can't reward yourself with ice cream ... when you eat healthier you can't reward yourself with ice cream ... and on and on until i decided to shut up and buy myself some ice cream. jokes, jokes! my mama insisted the reward is peace of mind and knowing that you're doing the right thing. (and something about money in the bank for more important things down the road.)

but of course she's right. it feels really really good to do the right thing. it felt good when i learned it in preschool and it still feels good in college. i can't wait to listen to my mom and my future husband compare notes on me someday, because i'm sure she'll be relieved to have someone else giving me advice for my endless stream of ridiculous thoughts ...